The Seventh Wheel
by when-the-silence-ends
Summary: Even now a year after the war ended, the goddess of revenge continues to remind Leo that he's destined for misery.
1. One

If any of you guys have read my one shot under the same name this is the beginning of the multi-chapter fic I told you guys I'd write. If you are a new reader read on you don't need to read that fic to understand this one. I wrote that one after the MoA and this fic is set after BoO. If you want to read that go ahead. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this unloading of Leo feels. I'm sorry if it's a little OOC. I'm trying to stay canon but it's hard when the Leo I'm writing is a Leo that has dropped the defence mechanism of his jokes.

Disclaimer: (I'll only do this once since obviously these aren't my characters, settings, etc). I do not own anything that Rick Riordan and such has copyrighted. I only use his characters and such for fun, I never plan to sell or make money off them, etc, etc, etc.

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><p>No one told Leo that war would change him like this.<p>

Even now a year after the war it was always on his mind; he couldn't let it go. Even Calypso had enough of him, she had told him to find her when he got his shit together. Give or take a few choice words. Honestly Leo was too busy trying not to kill his half siblings every time they woke him up to worry too much about her. Much being the key word here. He felt crazy and weak because even Percy and Annabeth were doing better than he was and they've been to Tartarus and back. Hades even Nico was better off than he is; Leo was sure a lot of it had to do with a certain son of Apollo.

Sighing, Leo stood up from his work table in Bunker 9 and made his way to where Festus was laying. Setting his hand on his beloved dragons head leo began tapping. The dragon creaked and groaned back his own string of morse code. The conversation seemed to ease the young adult. Festus moved under Leo's hand as if he was urging him to move. Leo panicked, wisps of fire started dancing in his hair and down his shoulders. The dragon opened it's larger mouth and spit fire at Leo effectively dealing with Leo's panic. A few creaks later Leo was striding out of the large entrance of Bunker 9 and towards the dining pavilion. The look of raw determination on Leo's face seemed to waver as his siblings took in his greasy and burnt appearance.

Luckily or unluckily none of the other seven were present at this moment. He wasn't sure he could face them yet. He and Calypso arrived back at camp six months ago, Leo hasn't talked to any of the seven since then. And if he were to tell the truth he'd say he wasnt ready to.

Once he and Calypso made it back to New York a certain goddess found him again. Her warning clear in her words, "Remember hero, what I said. You are the seventh wheel."

Calypso had questioned him many times the rest of the hour-long trip to camp about what the goddess of revenge wanted. Even after his short reunion with the other members of the seven she was on his ass about it. She only stopped when he snapped at her.

"It's none of your business!" Fire was already dancing in the hair of the agitated boy. "Leave it be!"

Leo wasn't sure who was more shocked about his outburst. Calypso narrowed her eyes at him her moth opening and closing for a moment. She turned away angrily. She was almost out of his sight when she turned around. "You're unbelievable Leo. Go cool off."

Even before Calypso ended things with Leo this incident had created unspoken tension between them.

He heard her before he seen her. Leo had just put some of his dinner in the fire when he heard the soft tinkle of Calypso's laugh. He was ready to run away at that moment. Before he could he spotted Piper walking in with her cabin, talking to Calypso like they were best friends. He visibly paled and scurried, yes scurried to his cabin's table. His siblings didn't say anything, most of them seemed to know that he couldn't handle that. As they got closer Leo put his head down. Nyssa reached over and put her arm around him, covering his face further. She smiled down at him, then sat up, serious.

"Leo, you got to deal with that," She gestured to the two girls who were pushing food into the fire. "And everything else."

Leo didn't look up or answer, but he was tapping his feet impatiently. "I'm worried Leo, you need to talk to someone who understands."

He shot up to his feet. His anger making him forget that he was hiding. Leo had learned that anger was the easiest emotion to feel; so he latched onto it. Nyssa stood up angry too. His hands were still on the table, they were burning the table. Leo was out of control emotionally so his control over his abilities had lessened because of this. Smoke rose in between the two siblings like a shield; when it cleared hell would break loose. And it did.

"Who could understand?" Leo yelled silence any whispers in the dining pavilion.

"Leo."

Leo cut off his sister before she could even argue. "No Nyssa. No one was there. No one looked her in the eyes like I did. No one."

He left, Leo ran away. Minutes after dinner returned to normal. Except for a select few, everyone forgot of the incident as soon as it was over. It was almost like Leo was never there. The only sign he was there was an untouched plate of food and two large handprints burnt into the table.

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><p>What do you think. Feedback, any of it is appreciated. I love you guys. Thanks for reading.<p>

-Haley


	2. Two

Here's another chapter because I love you guys. There will be some stuff I'll come back and fix later today, but it's almost two in the morning so I'm going to get to bed. Enjoy the chapter.

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><p>Maybe running wasn't a good idea.<p>

Running was easier and it was something Leo was used to; that didn't mean it was a good thing.

Nyssa had found him in the bunker. She has leaves in her hair and dirt on her face. The scratches on her bare arms were evidence that she had been running through the denser part of forest that hid Bunker 9 as well as many monsters. She surveyed Leo's workspace. Papers and blueprints were everywhere, on tables and chairs, pinned on the walls and flung across the floor. Tools and half-finished projects were around his workspace in similar fashion. The only clutter free spaces were Festus's work pad and the cot which Leo had slept on for the past couple of months.

When he first got back to camp he still didn't feel the full effect of the war. It was only when the nightmares started that Leo realized everything wasn't okay. Everything fell apart after that. He stopped sleeping in cabin nine; there's only so many times you can catch on fire in your sleep before your siblings kick you out. Nyssa insisted that it was okay that they just weren't used to his ability; she kept giving him all these excuses which he typically didn't listen to. EIther because he didn't want to hear them or because he could sit still for too long.

"Clean this place up Leo, it's a safety hazard." She still wasn't looking at Leo. "Look about the other day..."

Leo stopped what he was doing. He was working on another of Archimedes's inventions. One of the many scrolls were open in front of him, carefully unlike any of the other papers in the room. He turned in his chair and crossed his arms only to uncross them seconds later.

"I don't want-"

"-to talk about it." Nyssa continued from across the room; she hadn't mustered the courage to walk over to her brother yet.

"Nyssa, I know I'm-"

"No jokes Leo. Don't hide."

Leo's sister was stubborn he had to give her that. He sighed, and shifted in the chair again. Running a had down his face LEo turned away. Nyssa finally moved forward then and came to stop behind the chair. She gently put her hands on the back of the chair, not daring to turn it around. Nyssa knew that Leo would talk if she did that. He needed a little distance or he wouldn't be able to deal.

"I'm scared all the fucking time. Hades Nyssa, I keep seeing her where ever I go." He sighed and brought his knees to his chest. "And then there in Nemesis..."

Nyssa flinched at the sound of raw pain in Leo's voice, she was scared she couldn't handle him. She cared for him, but she was one of those people that didn't know how to deal with strong emotions. SHe wouldn't back out but she sure wasn't going to be much help now.

"Nemesis?" She questioned, hoping to keep him talking, because she may not be much help but she did know that Leo needed to talk.

Leo froze, and shut down again. Nyssa groaned in frustration. She was wearing thin. She needed Leo to act as head counselor. They were getting tons of new campers lately and she was tired of taking on job that wasn't hers. Leo seemed to sense her frustration because he set his feet on the floor and after a minute turned to face her. He still looked tires and a little crazed but there was this controlled calm in his eyes. Something he hadn't shown since he first arrived at camp.

"Thanks sis, I needed that." He smiled, Nyssa couldn't tell f it was real or not. "Now what were you saying about me being a safety hazard?"

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><p>Leo was sleeping in cabin nine again.<p>

Nyssa had told him she was tired of doing his job then she proceeded to tell him two campers were arriving tomorrow and they were suspected to be their siblings. Truthfully Leo would have made Nyssa deal with the new campers but she made it clears she wouldn't be happy with that. And as of now she was only friend Leo had; he wasn't going to jeopardize that. Plus he was sure she could kick his ass, and he didn't feeling like getting it handed to him.

He woke up to the sound of a shrill alarm. It meant monsters. Leo didn't think he got up and ran towards the commotion. He was wearing tool pajama bottoms and his tool belt. It seems he was the first to arrive at the scene. A satyr was trying to protect two demigods who were obviously twins. Leo pulled out two-three pound club-hammers and ran towards the young cyclops. They hadn't made it over the border and her doubted they would. The satyr was young and no match for the cyclops and the two demigods seemed too dazed to do anything.

"Get up that hill now!" He shouted, pushing the satyr out of his way.

The young satyr look relieved, and awed; the hero of Olympus had just saved him after all. The two demigods stood frozen, unfortunately Leo couldn't deal with that now. Swinging his hammers around and move swiftly on his feet Leo engaged in a dance with the cyclops. Monster dust rained down around him after a few minutes. Leo had faced many adult Cyclopes during the war, one child almost seemed like nothing to him now.

Turning back towards camp he noticed Piper standing with the twin demigods. They had dark hair, and too pale skin, but he could see from here that they had strong hands. Even before the symbols appeared above their heads he knew they were his siblings.

Patting the dust out of his lump of curly hair Leo made his way up to the trio right as Chiron galloped towards them. Usually he stayed in his wheelchair form to great campers but this mornings circumstances were unusual. Piper looked at him then looked away. There was definitely some unresolved issues between them, the twins could see that right away.

"Leo, it's wonderful to see you in the daylight." Chiron mused as he swung his bow behind his shoulder. "It's good to see you looking well."

Leo shifted under the hand that Chiron set on his shoulder. Piper cleared her throat and brought back everyone's attention to two new campers in front of them. They looked like a mess, their clothes were torn, they definitely needed to have some bandaged wounds looked at. And maybe a nice hot shower would do them good. The satyr who introduced himself as Kerk looked about the same.

"I'm Piper, head counselor of cabin ten." She said putting out a hand towards the twins, only the smaller one took it.

"I'm Walter." He tilted his head towards his brother. "He'd Dan."

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood Walter and Dan." Chiron said and started his own introduction to camp leaving no time for Leo to introduce himself. For which he was glad.

It was only when the group was halfway to the infirmary that the twins were claimed. Walter looked terrified almost as much as Leo had felt when he was claimed. Dan outwardly seemed less phased by it but Leo suspected it was because he didn't want to show his younger brother how he felt. Already Leo could see that Dan was very protective of his twin.

"Relax, you're being claimed by dad." Leo said before anyone else had a chance to say anything.

"Dad, who is dad?" Dan asked voice higher than Leo imagined it'd be. Walter nodded in agreement, he had calmed down and has fiddling with his fingers nervously. Without thinking about it Leo reaching into his tool belt and grabbed a handful of screws, rubber bands and other seemingly useless parts and handed them to the nervous boy. Dan was relieved because when his brother got antsy he got antsy, Leo had given his brother a way to calm down.

"Our dad," Leo stressed our. "is Hephaestus, god of forges, fire, etcetera, etcetera."

They boys looked like they were going to pass out. Leo could see that the adrenaline and shock had worn off; it would be correct to say they were dead on their feet. Leo gestured for them to follow him, Chiron and Piper both saying that the rest was up to him to deal with. Piper didn't even say goodbye, something which Leo would be bothered by later.

"I'm head counselor of cabin nine, it's sort of my job to show you around." He smiled. "Like your own personal tour guide, just a badass one."

Dan groaned and rubbed at his bruising eye. He looked at Leo seemingly trying to analyze him. "Sorry about keeping you from making up with your girlfriend man." Dan said, stuttering slightly on man.

"She's not my girlfriend." He replied and pushed open the door to the infirmary. "We'll talk more later, okay?"

Will Solace was already there ready for work; of course his new-found assistant Nico was there too. He looked towards the trio as soon as they entered. Leo gently pushed the two boys forward.

"Fix them up for me. Then let them sleep. I got to go clear some beds for them in cabin nine. Then I'll be back." He told will who nodded and had Nico get set to work getting supplies out.

"Get some rest and I'll show you around later. Will and the rest of the Apollo campers plus Nico will take good care of you."

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><p>I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to tell me what you think.<p>

xoxo Haley


	3. Three

Here is the next chapter. I hope you like. It was a little hard for me to push out parts of this. I hope it doesn't show too much.

Before you read I want to thank everyone who has reviewed, followed or favorited this story. Thank you guys.

Enjoy this chapter.

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><p>Piper found him next.<p>

He was almost to his cabin thinking over what Nico had said to him before he left the infirmary. Part of Leo knew that Nico was just making sure he was okay, but a larger part of him was having trouble trusting him and anybody really. Usually Leo made sure he didn't run into any of the seven if not necessary but with his mind preoccupied he missed seeing her before she seen him.

"Leo!" She called running up to him.

She had stopped him before he could reach the cabins. Leo looked back towards the infirmary so he didn't have to look at her. He was terrified, Leo was so damn scared that Piper wouldn't forgive him. So Leo tried to avoid her. He so want ready for this.

"Sorry Pipes, I got to go do head counselor stuff."

"Leo."

"I'm sorry I don't have time."

Piper sighed heavily, she wanted to talk to Leo. She was mad at him but now she just really missed her best friend. She actually missed him for longer, but she was so angry when he came back. He was alive all that time and not once did Leo call. Honestly she would get over it she just needed her best friend.

"Can we talk later than?" Piper said acknowledging that it wasn't the time to talk.

Leo nodded and was gone. He moved as fast as he could to his cabin. He pushed the door open roughly nearly knocking one of his siblings on their ass. He muttered a quick sorry and continued towards the new addition added on to the cabin. Stopping only to kick a box of tools out of his way. Picking out two beds next to one another, he placed a set of new blankets and pillows on each one to mark them as being used. Before he left the cabin Leo grabbed a clean Camp Half-Blood T-shirt to put on since he was still shirtless. And he was sure his half brothers wouldn't want stare at his bare chest longer.

He took as much time as he could walking back to the infirmary. Which really was useless since it was in between the cabins and the arena. He didn't want to face Nico who was surprisingly hard to lie to. Leo had a sinking feeling that Nico knew he lied to him earlier. Thinking back to the situation now Leo felt a little ridiculous for running away.

_"Leo, hold on a sec." Nico said as he was about to leave._

_"Uh sure." Leo said surprised because he and Nico never really talked before but he had decided just to go with it._

_"How are you feeling? You haven't had-uh scares have you?"_

_"Scares?"_

_"You haven't gone transparent or been abnormally forgetful have you? I want to make sure what you did doesn't have lasting effects." Nico explained making sure to keep his voice down._

_"If something happens I'll come to you guys." Leo lied, nodding his head to Will who was coming to see what the two boys were talking about._

_"Alright." Nico said not really believing it. _

_Leo was sure Nico wanted to say more but Leo was gone before he could._

Deciding to just get this over with Leo quickened his pace to the infirmary. He reached it quicker than he probably was ready for. Quietly as he could Leo walked in to find Dan and Walter laughing at something Will had said. Nico was glaring at the wall a light blush coating his Italian skin. The orientation video was playing and someone decided to pop popcorn. Deciding it was time to bring attention to himself Leo cleared his throat and spoke.

"I see your having a party, and you didn't invite me." He joked halfheartedly. "Don't you know I'm the life of the party?"

Will smiled and turned off the video, not sparing the latino an extra glance. Personally he was glad Dan and Walter were leaving it gave him some time with Nico before the afternoon rush of injured filled the infirmary. He looked to the twin boys and nodded towards Leo before he spoke.

"Alright Leo will give you a tour of the place. You'll fit in fine I'm sure of it. We've gotten a surplus of new demigods since the giant war ended so you'll no longer be the new kids in a day or so."

Running a hand through his blond hair Will realized maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. If the look on Nico's face had said anything. He was a little scared to look at Leo knowing that it seemed to be a taboo topic around him. At least that's what he was told by Percy and Piper. It was already too late though he could see the curiosity on the new demigod's faces. He looked at Leo now and he seen a look on the latino's face he never seen before. He looked hurt. The look was gone only seconds later.

"Giant war?" Walter asked the contraption in his hands forgotten.

"Long story, you'll hear about it sometime." Nico said from the corner sparing the latino from responding. At least for now anyway. Leo nodded at Nico in thanks and gestured for the door. As emotional as he was about the mention of the war, Leo decided to take the way out Nico had given him. He decided to thank the italian later but now he had a job to do. And for the first time since the boys showed up he was glad; it was the destruction he needed from well everything going on inside his head.

"Come on, let me give you the tour." Leo said, and rushed the two boys out of the infirmary.

The tour went smoothly, no one mentioned the war again and the two boys seemed like they'd like it here. The brothers wanted to hear about the war, Leo could see that, but he didn't want to talk about it. As selfish as it was, he wanted them to hear about it from someone who could talk about it without breaking apart. When they reached cabin nine Leo was glad the tour was over. He stopped for a drink of water, and then whistled loudly. Everyone in the cabin looked over and called those down below up.

"Guys meet Dan and Walter, our new brothers." He introduced them quickly.

People said hello and welcome and resumed what they were doing. Dan looked relieved his brother on the other hand wandered around and made conversation. The differences in their personality quite clear. It was easy to tell the twins apart in person, Dan was bigger and taller than Walter, the other boy was like a twig compared to his brother. Their other appearances were same, same light hair, and long noses; even down to the moles under their eyes. If Leo were to look at a picture of the two shoulder to shoulder he doubted he'd be able to tell them apart.

"Where will we be sleeping?" Dan asked Leo pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Oh crap I forgot. I'll show you and you can show your brother later."

He led him down the stairs into the new edition. He pointed to the two beds next to one another. The stacks of clean sheets and blankets still on top the mattresses. Dan chose the bed closest to the door, and started putting on the sheets. He almost seemed used to it, when he caught Leo's glance he sighed and turned to him.

"We used to live in foster homes until we came here. Our mom was in jail last we saw her." He explained partly and continued making his bed. "We'd always get he strict homes."

Leo didn't know how to respond. He himself was in foster homes but they never lasted too long. And truthfully he didn't know how to talk to people about those experiences. Leo hadn't even told Calypso which was saying a lot. After a minutes Leo decided to at least say something, he was sure that it wasn't easy for Dan to tell him that.

"I see. Well I'll leave you to it." Leo said finally and turned away from the younger boy. Then he started to make his way out. He did what he needed to do, Leo just wanted to get back to work in Bunker 9.

"Hey Leo!" Dan called out to him as Leo was about to walk up the stairs.

He knew this was coming. He could see the burning need to know in Dan's eyes since Will mentioned the war. It only seemed to get stronger the longer the boy had to wait to hear about it. Resigned Leo went and sat down on the bed across from Dan's. He took a deep breath and looked down at his shoes.

"How much do you know about the greek and roman gods?" He asked looking up at Dan.

"Well Will and Nico told us a bit. How all the myths are true and stuff like that."

Leo sighed loudly, but pushed himself to continue. "Okay so you know all about Zeus and his brothers slaying Kronos?"

Dan nodded, so Leo continued. "Well a couple of years ago Kronos tried to rise again and there was a war. I didn't know about all this then. After we won that war Gaea decided to raise the giants and herself as revenge. You with me so far."

Dan nodded and so Leo told him. He stripped most of the details and briefly went over it. Leaving out any specifics including how he had a faceoff with Gaea and put an end to the war. He explained how there was a prophecy how he and seven demigods banded together and did what they needed to do. When he was finished talking Leo was exhausted so he decided to hit the sack a little early. He excused himself from the room, too tired to make any jokes, and hurried out of the cabin. Unaware that he just became an impressionable thirteen year old's hero.

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><p>Thanks so much for reading. Feel free to tell me what you thought. I love you guys.<p>

xoxo Haley


	4. Four

Alright guys here is the big chapter. I'm going to do the breakdown scene. Prepare to cry get anything you need before you read.

Also if any of you are on the National Writing Month site send me your username and I'll add you.

Enjoy.

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><p>Everyone just wouldn't leave him alone.<p>

Leo didn't get to bunker 9. Nyssa stopped him before he could step into the dense forest. Her arms were crossed and her dark hair was down and damp. She probably had just showered. Leo could have easily ran off, he was faster than her. However he was not faster than twenty of his siblings. They had surrounded him, arms crossed just like Nyssa's.

"You've skipped out on eating with us for too long Leo. I told you to do your job as head counselor, leading us to dinner is one of your duties."

"Nyssa."

Ana, the youngest of his half siblings peeked her head out from behind Nyssa back. She smiled, and ran up to Leo. "Please, your the only one that lets me get extra cookies."

Nyssa raised an eyebrow at Leo. He knew she did it on purpose bring Ana here. He had always had trouble saying no to little kids. With a heavy sigh Leo strengthened his resolve then looked back at Nyssa.

"I have things to do." He smirked just a little. "I'm a busy man."

Nyssa ignored Leo, truthfully he was too tired to argue so after a moment he nodded. He knew it was useless anyway. Leo didn't get a choice in things these days; everyone made them for him. Ana smiled widely and jumped into his arms, the little six-year-old was attached to him. She followed him around camp all the time. Even when they were building the Argo II she used to beg him to let her work with him. Of course he let her do it because Leo was a sucker for the puppy dog face. Ana knew it too, and used it to her advantage.

Nyssa led everyone back to the cabin. Leo held Ana as she talked on and on, not really listening to what she said. She like him was more ADHD than most demigods. Leo looked up at the sky before he stepped into the dark cabin wishing he could be with Festus in Bunker 9. He wondered what the dragon was doing now. Hopefully he wasn't making a mess. Lately the dragon had decided to explore the tunnels that sprouted off from the bunker. When he got back he'd plop himself down on his work pad and watch Leo for the rest of the day. Leo smiled at the thought of Festus and Bunker 9, but the smile was short-lived.

Setting Ana down, Leo made his way to the front of the cabin as the horn signaling dinner was ready blew. Using the intercom that an old head counselor installed LEo called everyone to the main room. Once everyone was there he herded them off to the dining pavilion. They were one of the first cabins there, so they were able to grab their food and go rather quickly. Leo was seated already when he saw them.

Usually he kept up with the Camp Half-Blood/Camp Jupiter visiting schedule, but he was so _preoccupied_ today he didn't' and Frank were sitting with Piper and Jason at the Zeus table. Reyna and Nico were seated at Nico's table and a bunch of the campers he never really met were around talking to a bunch of the campers he seen everyday but never talked to. He could feel her eyes on him too, she was seated with Chiron, probably talking more on her loss of immortal life. Chiron was very curious to why Calypso didn't have it anymore.

Leo could feel this all collapsing on him. He was having trouble breathing. Pushing his food away he set his head on the table. Quietly like a whisper Nemesis' words came back to haunt him. Bit's and pieces of their conversations flowed through his thoughts like his favorite song. He couldn't ignore them. _You're... seventh wheel... all alone... never find... place..._ On and on they flowed on an endless loop. They only stopped when deeper and darker buried memories came to surface. Gaea in his mother's workshop, fire, her eyes, burning fire, the blank darkness that comes with dying, her eyes again.. More and more they resurfaced making Leo want to barf. He was having a panic attack.

Ana poked his shoulder and handed him a cookie. She was smiling but her eyes seemed to look much older in that moment. SHe pushed his empty magic cup to him and then continues to eat her food. SHe seemed to be silently saying: this will make you feel better. He ate the cookie, partly because she kept looking back at him to make sure he did, and he drank some water. It did make him feel better so he concentrated on eating, blocking out everything else, for just a little while.

In his current state Leo didn't notice the rest of the seven move to one table and start talking quietly. If he did he wouldn't have left dinner by himself.

Leo was tired of being ambushed. Once he left dinner all he wanted to do was go to sleep. He was so exhausted. He was feeling too much, remembering too much. He blamed it on his conversation with Dan. Whenever the was was brought up it caused him to feel a flurry of unwanted emotions and to remember everything that came with them.

One minute he had a clear path the the cabins where he could easily escape to Bunker 9. The next moment Percy and Annabeth were standing in front of him. He turned to avoid them only to realize that Piper and Jason were there; they had encircled him.

"I've had enough f being ambushed today." He said trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"Again? "Hazel blurted, causing her to blush slightly.

Leo sighed loudly, he honestly just stopped caring if they realized he was annoyed. In fact he wanted them to realize it. Leo didn't know where this burst of anger came from, but he liked it. Anger was better than well the pain; he'd rather feel anger. It really wasn't Leo's night, he was tired and emotional; not a great mix for him. He could feel that others had noticed their little group, namely Calypso. He could feel her gaze from anywhere. It only made things harder for him. Leek took a deep breath trying to calm was too worked up now if he didn't calm down he'd so or say something he'd regret. A part f him felt it was already too late.

"We need to talk with you Leo." Annabeth said softly, taking charge of the situation.

Leo could stop the words from leaving his mouth. "Talk about what? What is there to talk about, Annabeth?"

He wasn't sure who looked more shocked, him or the seven. He knew that they weren't used to him being so serious. They never really seen him angry; when they did it was always hidden behind a set of jokes. Leo shifted from foot to foot, trying not to look anyone in the eye. Piper was gripping Jason's hand tightly. Hazel was trying not to cry, which instantly made ?LEo feel worse. He wanted out, no he needed out of there. He was sure now that something was going to happen and he'd regret it. He could already feel flames atop his head, something that had happened too much lately. He was loosing control.

"What's going on here?" Reyna said walking up to the group. She gave LEo an odd look. It made him think that she still didn't like him very much. Nico was behind her a look of worry on his face; who it was directed towards Leo.

"We wont let you go-" Percy stopped talking to him after a hit on the arm from Annabeth.

Piper exhaled loudly and took the floor. "I'm done waiting LEo we are going to talk now."

Leo wasn't sure what made him snap. The charmspeak in Piper's voice or her words. He looked up and met her eyes, his cold and distant. This made Nico curse in italian; the latino seemed to blur but only for a split second. Nico wasn't sure if anyone else noticed. Leo met everyones eyes, even Calypso who had made her way over to the group. Bring even more attention to Leo. It was the the scissors to his rope. Fire rolled down his neck and shoulders to his hands. All the anger and pain he felt swallowed him whole. Nemesis's words seemed to b screaming in his head, only adding fuel to the fire. He was so angry.

"Talk about what?" _seventh wheel_ "How you all got mad at me when I go back, without letting me say anything. You guys all just left me alone. I would have been better off dead."_ never find a place_ "It's like you guys forgot about what I did, about me. Did you even think about why I wouldn't want to come back. I looked Gaea in the eyes and died here." _all alone_ "How instead of helping me you backed off, told me to get it together. Man if I am not careful I literally disappear!" _never forget_ "And you want to talk! Forgive me if I don't want to be around you guys now. A constant reminder that Nemesis was right. That I will always be alone, a seventh wheel." _destined for misery _"Just leave me the hades alone."

Leo wouldn't remember what he said, or why he did. All he would remember was pushing through Hazel and Piper, nearly scorching them in the process. He ran and ran, until his shaky legs could no longer take the strain. The dam had broke, Leo was drowning in it's water. He was on his knees, only able to make out the clear sky and the stars laughing down at him. He could almost hear Nemesis laughing at him. He could almost feel the pleasure the fates got out of his misery. Leo was screaming, what he wasn't sure. Screaming at the gode, the fates, Gaea, his friends; he was screaming at everything. He screamed until his voice ran out. His vision blurry with sticky tears and snot. His curly mass of hair was sticking out in all directions. He looked like a mad man.

He clawed at the ground in front of her cabin. He had somehow stopped at Hera's cabin. It was almost like Leo was begging her to dig his grave. He was sobbing and digging. He was still clawing at the ground when the night sky lightened. It was only when the first rays of daylight casted over Half-Blood Hill that Leo passed out.

The seven would have ran up to him much sooner. They would have done anything to help him, but Chiron stopped them. He looked just as pained as the demigods.

"We can't help him now." He told them quietly, trying to look away from the broken demigod.

They stood there watching, the only thing they could do for hours. They stood unmoving witnessing him break but being helpless to pick up the pieces until it was too late. When he finally passed out Jason picked him up and carried him to the infirmary, the rest of the group following.

Will was waiting, his face tense and worried. Everyone had a soft spot for Leo. Even Charisse who looked like she was going to beat the living crap out of Leo when he woke up, to show her love of course. Calypso was sobbing into the crying arms of Piper who was being held my Jason. Percy and Annabeth were holding each other silently not sure how to react at the moment. Nico was being soothed by Reyna, he was stressed, complaining that Leo was close to death. Everyone was in a state of tense worry, hoping more than anything that Leo would be okay.

They all knew though that it would be a long time before he was okay.

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><p>Okay it done. *Wipes tears and sweat off face* Feel free to tell me what you thought. Actually tell me what you thought, I want to know. Thanks for reading you guys. I love you. So please don't hate for hurting Leo.<p>

xoxo Haley


	5. Five

Here is chapter five. Sorry for the wait, I've been so busy with school work and the production of West Side Story my school is putting on that I've had little time to write. The next chapter will be out soon too. Enjoy this chapter.

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><p>Leo was out for two whole days.<p>

No one was there when he woke up, which Leo was grateful for. It made it easier for him to get away. He would have thanked Will for sending everyone off if he were there, but Leo didn't have time to waste. After a brief scan of the room, he found his way to escape. A window just big enough for him to slip through. He was already at his cabin when he heard the commotion, everyone had just found his empty bed. Leo quickened his pace, he knew they'd come here looking for him. Grabbing the things he knew he'd need Leo rushed around the cabin; when his toolbelt, extra clothes and blankets and a backpack full of demigod necessities were ready snuck out the back of the cabin.

He has just enough of a head start that his friends- if he could still call them that- had just entered his cabin looking for him as he left. Running surprisingly fast in his condition Leo had just started closing the large entrance to Bunker 9 when he first caught sight of Jason and Piper. The door slammed shut silencing the two other demigods cries. Leo looked at the closed entrance for a while feeling slightly pained; it was the first time he closed it since he showed it to everyone. Since he was the only one who could open Bunker 9- at least that they knew of Leo knew he'd be alone for a good amount of time. Festus whirled his teeth at Leo in protest, he had only arrived minutes before Leo but Festus didn't like being stuck in one place for long.

"Oh boy! You've got monster dust all over you." Leo said inspecting the mechanical dragon. "How'd you even manage to get the dent in your leg?"

Setting down his backpack on the cot in the corner, Leo moved quickly. Getting everything he needed to clean and fix up his dragon. Taking out a few tools, he go tot work.

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><p>When Piper failed to get to Leo before he closed Bunker 9, she found someone she knew who could find a way in. Hazel who hadn't heard of Leo's escape was eating lunch with Frank and Reyna. Percy and Annabeth were at the beach having a day to themselves so Piper and Jason hadn't told them either. Telling everyone before they chased him would have just been a inconvenience. But now that she and Jason failed, Piper knew it was time to tell everyone. Jason went to fetch the love birds while she went to get both predators and company.<p>

She wasn't sure how to say it without creating some sort of panic, so she just went out and said it. "Leo ran away from the infirmary."

Reyna looked up surprised, a look of controlled sadness on her face. She sighed, and stood up and walked away. Reyna felt bad because until a few days ago she still didn't like Leo. She knew Frank could deal with this. Even if she were to help the seven, she'd just hold them back. She didn't know Leo or how he thought.

Piper let Frank and Hazel calm down before she said anymore. Plus Jason hadn't arrived with the others yet. Piper would rather only have to explain the situation once, it was easier for her that way. Hazel was crying again, she really had a soft spot for him. Frank was holding his girlfriend; he too seemed worried about the son of Hephaestus. Piper was sure he'd never tell Leo that- if they ever got him out of this depressive stupor. Jason and company arrived a few minutes later. Sitting down beside her Jason put an arm around Piper. Percy and Annabeth chose to stand.

"What are we going to do about Leo?" Annabeth said while looking at Piper. Something Piper still wasn't used to. Tartarus really did change the daughter of Athena quite drastically.

"We chased him to bunker 9, but he sealed it shut." Jason said to fill everyone in.

"I thought you could see if there is another way in Hazel." Piper told the curly haired magician.

Clearing his throat, Frank spoke. "I'm guessing this "Bunker 9" is underground. Which means we have to be careful not to make it collapse on Leo."

"Oh right none of you have been there." Piper whispers something to Jason and then stands up.

"Lets go guys, before Leo gets too comfortable." Piper said. "I'm not going to stop until I get my best friend back."

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><p>So what do you think? I love you guys.<p>

xoxo Haley


	6. Six

Here is chapter six. Sorry it's been awhile, I've been busy with school and I have seemed to hit a writing wall. Though I'll work hard to get to get you all a longer chapter seven. I want to thank all of you who review it makes me so happy. And thank you for the favorites and follows too. This chapter is dedicated to all of your readers.

Enjoy this chapter.

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><p>It was going to be harder to get to Leo than Piper had thought.<p>

Even getting to Bunker 9 was harder than usual. Monsters were drawn to the amount of strong demigods so the group had to fight of a number of them before they reached the sealed off bunker. When they got there they were covered in dirt, scratches and soon to be bruises. Percy was the first person to spot the bunker.

"This has been here the whole time?" Percy asked gazing at the entrance in awe. No one bothered to answer him. They were all in their own heads. Leo was like the glue that stuck them all together. No he was their foundation, without him they were like a sinking boat.

Annabeth was interested in the architecture of Bunker 9 she had been since she first saw it. Part of her still wished to explore its mysterious passagewaysnow. The only thing stopping her was the worry she had for the boy just a few feet away. She never showed Leo much affection but she did like him. He was one of the few people she could talk to about her interests that understood what she was saying. Annabeth felt Leo deserved to be happy now that the war was over. They all did, but it seemed like the fates had other plans for Leo. Annabeth couldn't help but notice Jason and Piper looking everywhere but the bunker's entrance. She felt bad for them; they were his best friends and they were powerless against his emotions. They all could at least somewhat understand Leo's breakdown, looking the earth goddess in the eye; doing what he did, may have affected him in ways they couldn't imagine.

Frank didn't know what to do. He was pretty much useless in this situation. He could only lead them into the bunker when they found a way inside. If they find one. Judging by the look on his girlfriend's face this wasn't going to be easy. This only made him feel worse; he and Leo never had a great relationship and Frank was staring to regret that. When they got Leo back he decided that he'd change that. He watched a somber Hazel as she keeled and felt the ground trying desperately to find a way in. Frank knew before she stood up that she didn't have good news.

"If I try to make us a way in the whole place may collapse on him." Hazel looked at the group sadly, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"There has to be a way in." Annabeth said, remembering her time inside the bunker. "There were hallways leading to- well I don't know."

"I didn't say there wasn't a way in. There is, but they are far from camp and getting there will be dangerous. Then we don't know what's waiting for us inside. It's a bunker made by kid like Leo..."

"So we can't say what traps and machines we'll come across." Frank finished for her.

Annabeth looked over at Piper who was close to tears. Piper had her head against the entrance to the bunker, she was trying to hold herself together. Jason was sitting with his back against the entrance, his head in his hands. This was really effecting them that much was obvious. Annabeth knew that it had to do with their response to Leo's return. None of them responded to it right, for some reason they were only able to be angry in those moments. They never got a chance to make it right, the wrong things were said and everyone ended up hurt. Leo isolated himself more and more and soon making things okay became nearly impossible.

They were all feeling it now, the guilt and pain from that incident. They were all feeling the after effects of the war too, but Annabeth knew that they were stronger than Leo. He may be able to kick some serious ass but emotions crippled him. Everyone had just been too distracted, too angry and confused to see that he needed their support. They could have addressed the negative side of his return later, but that was all in the past now. Annabeth decided that she'd work hard and get the Leo she knew back.

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><p>Leo wasn't sure why he was acting like he was. Or why he kept pushing everyone away. He knew somewhere deep down it was irrational. That when he returned that his friends didn't know how to react and that their anger wasn't really direction at him. Even knowing all this, Leo didn't stop. There could be a lot of reasons for that, hewas scared, he wasn't himself, he was angry, but at this moment Leo didn't care about any of that. He wanted someone to hurt like he was, he wanted to hurt Nemesis, the fates, he just wanted to let go of his hurt. Leo was just doing it in all the wrong ways.<p>

He was sitting on the ground, his back against the entrance to the bunker. He'd been there for about an hour now, having nowhere else to sit. Leo found himself getting transparent, and falling through objects. After almost getting a table stuck in his stomach he gave up and sat on the cool earth, which didn't seem to want to pull him in.

"This is all messed up." Leo told Festus who wasn't too happy with him. "I'm messed up. "

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><p>Chiron didn't want to put his students in danger, but to get to Leo he had no choice. The nearest entrance was a few miles into the city. Hopefully he could have them driven there safely and without interruption. Logically he knew that the amount of demigods going would attract attention but he knew there was no way he could shorten the number. No one would stay back and he wouldn't ask any of them to. So off the six demigods went. Trouble definitely in their future. Chiron didn't need the Oracle to know that.<p>

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><p>I tried to give a couple different point of views here. So how did you like this chapter? Sorry again for the wait.<p>

Thanks for reading.

xoxo Haley


	7. Seven

So I scrapped what I was writing for chapter seven and started again. I no longer am stuck with this story. I know it's short but some stuff is coming up.

I hope you enjoy.

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><p>Leo didn't expect them to find another way to him, but here they were. Beat up and exhausted. When they came in from one the tunnels that Festus often wandered in he was surprised to say the least. He had expected after three days they had given up on getting him to leave. Though Leo knew that they were a little too stubborn for that. He wanted to be relieved but the goddess warning after he brought Calypso back to camp- stripped of her immortality, not that he knew that- she warned him that his future wouldn't be so bright.<p>

"Leo Valdez." Hazel was fumed, Leo had never seen her this mad. "Enough of your shit."

I think everyone was surprised to hear that word out of her mouth. Maybe it was the surprise or just the buildup of emotion but then Leo was crying. Hazel and Piper were the first to react and they wrapped him up in their arms, crying along with him. Jason broke down after a few minutes pushing the girls out of the way to embrace his best friend. The hug was not just a hug between guys it was a hug between brothers. Percy and Annabeth stood back and let those three fuss over him. Frank smiled and after everyone had calmed down patted Leo on the back and nodded to tell him he was glad her was okay.

It was then that Annabeth noticed that Leo look ill, his skin was a pasty and he was thin too thin. She had noticed he was a little sickly even before his breakdown but this was different. Percy seemed to read his girlfriend's mind and gave her a reassuring squeeze. He had will waiting for their return, even the usually oblivious Percy had noticed his friend wasn't well.

"Leo, I don't care the reason, but you will never do this again or I will kill you." Piper had grabbed his hand and wouldn't let it go.

"I'm a mess." Leo said his voice barely above a whisper.

Festus creaked agreeing with the Latino. He nudged the closed entrance to the bunker and Leo shuffled over to it, Piper went with him as she hadn't let go of his hand. He opened it the use of his power drained him too much and Piper found his hand fading out of hers.

"Shit." Frank said remembering something Reyna said about Nico before he went through treatment after the war. "We need to get him to the infirmary quick."

"We'll need the best healer there." Piper and Annabeth stated together.

They had made it about two feet from the bunker when Leo nearly collapsed. Jason picked him up bridal style which Leo protested against but the blond ignored it. He was too worried about the boy he was carrying. The usually relatively short walk back to camp took over an hour. Not only did the group who didn't seem to get less than a foot of another person have trouble weaving in and out of trees, monsters kept coming for them. All seven of the prophecy children were together in a small space of course monsters would be attracted to them.

"You guys are back sooner…" Will Solace said from his seat in the empty dining pavilion, though he went into what Nico liked to call doctor mode as he caught sight of the fading boy in Jason's arms.

"Get him to the infirmary. Now."

The seven couldn't have moved any faster.

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><p>Well thats it. I want to say this so you all know, this might seem like everything is all dandy but it's not. He still needs to talk it out with everyone. And then things will happen. Anyway what do you guys think? What do you think will happen next?<p>

xoxo Haley


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